Couple, ages 100 and 98, die in California wildfire

An onslaught of wildfires across a wide swath of California grew exponentially, swallowing up thousands of properties. Courtesy: KTVU (AP)

Sean Rossman, USA TODAY , TEGNA4:56 PM. EDT October 10, 2017

SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 09: Burned out cars sit next to a building on fire in a fire ravaged neighborhood on October 9, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, 2017 Getty Images)

California couple Sara Rippey, 98, and her husband Charles, 100, died together in the wildfires ravaging the state.

Ruby Gibney, their granddaughter, told KTVU2 the couple was unable to escape the blaze. Her grandparents, she said, "are immensely loved and missed."

They were married on March 20, 1942, the Napa Valley Register reported, and enjoyed playing tennis and golf. Just months ago, the couple celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary with their five children, according to the Register.

Napa County Sheriff John Robertson confirmed the couple's death on Tuesday.

"Our thoughts are certainly with the family at this time," he said.

As the fire approached, NBC Bay Area reported the couple's caregiver tried to save them.

"She went down to get my father and all the windows just started to explode and (there was) smoke and heat and all that everywhere," their son Chuck Rippey told NBC Bay Area. "She just couldn't find them."

Chuck Rippey discovered his parents' bodies, reported NBC Bay Area. He said his father almost made it to his mother's side.

The Register, which announced the Rippeys' 75th anniversary, described Charles as a World War II veteran, who later worked for Firestone Tire and Rubber Company and Norris Industries. Sara, according to the Register, was a bridge player who oversaw the family.

"The only thing worse would have been if one survived without the other," Gibney told KTVU2.

A number of wildfires continued to move across parts of California wine country on Tuesday, its third day of burning. At least 13 people have died, more than 1,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed and tens of thousands of others have had to leave their homes for safety.